A probationer accused of hitting and killing a female motorcyclist at a Moreno Valley intersection, then attempting to flee the scene, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and other offenses.
Gariad Lequane Jones, 52, of Hemet was arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the death of 25-year-old Marvonna Vaxter of Moreno Valley.
Along with murder, Jones is charged with possession of controlled substances for sale and probation violations.
He was arraigned Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for July 28 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Jones is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Marcos Acosta, shortly after 9 p.m. on Jan. 12, the defendant was at the wheel of a vehicle traveling at an unconfirmed speed on Moreno Beach Drive when it allegedly slammed into Vaxter at the stoplight for Auto Mall Drive, on the eastern edge of Moreno Valley.
Acosta alleged that after the collision, Jones fled the wreck on foot, though no one actually saw him get out of the car. Patrol deputies located the defendant minutes later and arrested him without incident.
Vaxter was taken to nearby Riverside University Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries that night.
Jones was initially only charged with the drug possession allegation because there was apparent confusion regarding the circumstances behind the crash, which detectives continued to investigate over a two-month span, culminating in prosecutors ultimately charging Jones with murder.
Court records indicated he has prior misdemeanor convictions for driving under the influence. He also served time in state prison for a violent felony that wasn’t specified.